Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



UNITED STATES LOUGHLIN COXIiOY, OF NEV YO.

PATENT OEEICE.

un, N.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent To all uhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUGHLIN Connor, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brooch-Loading Fire-Arms, of which the following is a specification:

The invention consists in certain novel combinations of parts, including a cocker-lever, pivoted below to the lrear end ofthe breeclr block, and interposed between the firing-pin and hammer, for movement in common .with the breech-block as well as backward and forward; also, operating in concert with a hook on the tiring-pin and upper arm ofthe lever-guard, and with the mainsprin g, to control the forward movement of the tiring-pin; also, whereby provision is made by the elastic action-ot' the 1nainspring for insertion ofthe cartridge and retention of the latter before the breech is closed; likewise other advantageous peculiarities of action `are obtained.

ln the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification, Figures l and 2 represent vertical longitudinal sections of the rear portion of a breech-loadn g tire-arm constructed in accordance with my invention, and with the operating parts in diii'erent positions; Fig. 25, Ia transverse section on the line w 1r,- Fig. 4, a like section on the line x Fig. 5, a similar section on the line yy; and Fie'. 6, a further like section of the lock-frame or case. and its receiver on the line z z.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures.

A represents the chamber or receiver con,- taining the lock-caso, breech-block, and. working parts. B is the lever-guard, pivoted at b and formed with an upward extension or pro- Y ljection, o, which operates within the receiver. C is the breech-block, having an up-and-down movement on or by a rear pivot, d, and curved at its front end, eorrespoiuling with the arc of the circle in which it works to form a close joint with the rear end of the cartridge-chainber or barrel i). This breech-block (l is formed, on its under side at its rear end, with arecess, e, which, in its turn, is constructed to form on its front side a vertical or transverse shoulder, f, that connects below with a segmental or concave shoulder, g, on the under side of the No. 145,154, daim December April 9, 1573.

eehblook. These shoulders f and g serve 2, 1873 application filed' to control the action of the breech-block by the projection o of the lever-guard. y Eis a trin g-pin provided with a,dow]1wardly proieet ing arm or hook ,'l1 the use of which will be hereinafter explained. G is the cocke1"lever, pivoted below, at i, to tlie-:breech-block, and interposed between the rear 'end of the lat-ter or back end of the iiringpin E and hammer H. This cocker-leverhas a twofold function, namely, by serving, in its forward movement, to transmit the blow from the hammer to the tiring-pin in order to explode the cartridge, and serving, in its back movement, the purpose of placing the hammer at half-cock. lts lower portion also operates conjointly with the hook projection or arm h of the firing-pin and with the upper extension, c, ofthe lever-guard when opening the breech. I is the mainsp-ing of the gun, connected with the hammer bya saddle, I.; and K is the trigger. L is the cartridge-shell extractor, working on a pivot, m, in a free or loose and detachable manner.4

From the foregoing description it will be observed that the cocker-lever G occupies an approximately-vertical position, with its up-v per. end above vthetop of the receiver A, andV in line with the face or hammer 1l, while it is pivoted at its-lower end,

by its fulcrum-pin i, to the bottom rear end of the lnjeeeh-bloek C, and moves with the latter. y

Said device G may, in view of its action, be termed a compound or doubleaeting lever of both the second and third orders, for, in its backward lnotion, which is to assist in halfcocking the. hammer', the power is applied directly in rear of the firing-pin, above the hook or arm h, and the weight is at o' on the hammer ll, l-`i l. This continues until the shoulder k of the cocker-lever interferes wit-l1l a corresponding shoulder formed on the hammer, when the weight is transferred to the shoulder 7c, where it remains until the halfeockin'g of the hammer is completed, which is done by an upward movement of the cookinglever. lhutherinore, it should be noticed that at the time the weight is transferred to the shoulder 7c the power is also changed from the point directly back of the firing-pin down to the rear ot' the arm or hook h of said pin, and that during this operation the fulcrum of the cocker-'lever is, by the. action of the breechstriking portion of the block moved rearward 'and upward, which enables 'the shoulder k t0 follow up and force back 'the hammer to half-cock. The object sought by this action is not to place the hammer at full cock automatically while being loaded, but to place it automatically at halfcock, which is safer. In the first part of its backward movement the cooking-lever presses against theface of the hammer `to give the latter glow motion,so that` it will not be pressedback 'nere than sufficient tocomplete the half-cock by the time the breech-block is lwered, so as to admit of reloading the arm. Ite forward movement 'of fixe cuenenfever;

.supposing the gun to be loaded, with the hammer at full-cock and ready for rin g, then,by releasing the trigger from the notch in the hammer, the -mainspring, being free to act, throws forward the hammer, which strikes the cocker-lever at o. The blow thus given is transmitted directly in rear ofthe firing-pinthat is, above the hook ALf-causin g -the firingpin to be driven forward to explode the cartridge. When the cockerlever is released or being released from the pressure of the hammer, by drawing back the latter to half-cock, the spring around the tiring-pin, that operates to throw said pin back, causes the forward end of the pin to be withdrawn within and behind the faceof the breech-block, and its rear end to press on the cocker-lever, forcing` it back to and4 holding it in the proper position to receive the blow from the hammer when the gun is being discharged.

It mayh'ere be observed that the hook lrof the firing pin, while not claimed as a novelty in itself, is a co-operative part of the combination in which the cocker-lever is an element, inasmuch as that, when the hammer is placed at half-cock, and before the breech begins to open, the effect ofthe pressure of the arm c of the guard-lever on the hook h is transmitted to the cocker-lever, and at a point aboife-that is, by the rear end of the iii-ingpin above the hook. This is donc to remove the pressure or power farther from the fnlcrum of-the cockerdever in order to gain leverage when pressing back the hammer to half-cock.

By further pulling down on the lever-guard the forward end of `the breech-block is depressed below the bottom of the cartridgechamber, and is caused to strike 011 the one arm or projection of the ejector L, close to the pivotof the latter, which makes the longer arm of the ejector press against the'ilange of the cartridge M with such force and rapidity as to throw the cartridge-shell'clear ont of its chamber. When the lever-guard B is relieved from pressure of the hand the forward endl the mainspring, so that after the cartridge is.

inserted in the barrel the breech-block lmmediately rises suiciently above the flange of the cartridge to prevent `it from falling-out, even though the muzzle offthegun be elevated v to alang'le -of'ninety degreesmudthebreechblock is unclosed. `'.lThevbreech-block is farther raised and closedby the action of the extension c of the lever-guard on the" straight shoulder f of, the breech-block,'and is held raised by the subsequent passage of said vextension under the curved shoulder g of the breech-block. A

rlhe whole movement of the lever-guard to open the breech-block need be lbut slight.

What is here claimed, and desired to be sel cured by Letters Patent, is-

1. The cocher-lever G, pivotcd to'tlie'lower rear proj eetion of the downward and back wardswinging'breech-block, whereby, in addition s to its having an independent movement` tol drive the liring-pin forward and to start the hammer, it is moved by the breech-block to continue the movement of the hammerto halfcock, as set forth.

2. The eombmation of the cockerilever, the breech-block, and the levepguargl having-fthe I arm C, whereby the hammer is carried lbach by a duplex motion of the cocker-lever andthe breech is opened, as specified. p

3. The combination of the cocker-,lever Gr,

pivoted to the breeehbloek, as described, the

hammer Il, the iiring-pinfFi, an the leverguard B, for automatically placing the hamnier at half-cock when the breech is being opened, as specified. I

4. The arrangement, substantially as herein shown and described, of the cocker-lever G, thebreeck-block C, the hammer H, themainspring I, and-the trigger K, whereby, when the breech-block is depressed to its fullest extent, and pressure removed from *the guard; lever, the mainspring lifts theupper surface of the forward end of the breech-block so, as to A retain the cartridge after insertion, before; the breecltblock is closed.

i L, CONRQY. Titnesses HENRY T. BaowN, MIGHAEL RYAN.' 

